Asma Nawar — a journalist, politician departs in prime age

PESHAWAR: One of the casualties of the torrential rains on July 29 was Asma Nawar, a young journalist and Awami National Party (ANP) women wing provincial vice-president, who died when the roof of her room collapsed in her village Dag Besod in Nowshera district. The 26-year old Asma worked for several media and social organisations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. No other room in the well-to-do family’s house collapsed except Asma’s. She was destined to die young is how grieving relatives and acquaintances described her untimely death. Her father Nawar Khan said Asma was not only his daughter but was also a son. “She was courageous and brave. She also played an important role in ANP politics,” he recalled. She did her master in journalism and mass communication from the University of Peshawar and joined The Frontier Post as a trainee reporter in June 2007. The same year the National Democratic Institute (NDI) selected her for study tour to Holland. She was one of 15 reporters working for a Khyber Agency-based FM radio station. Talking to her colleagues, she once said: “It is good that we are the voice of the people and even better to be voice of the women. Like men, women should also have their say in radio programmes to attract them towards this field.” In 2009, she joined Internews Pakistan as a reporter and producer for radio programmes on the issues of tribal womenfolk. Recently she was working as a reporter with Intermedia Pakistan on issues related to tribal women. Tayyab Afridi, station head of a Fata Secretariat-run FM radio in Khyber Agency, said when their radio started bulletin and signature news programme Asma became its first female correspondent. “She covered political issues of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in an impartial manner. People in Khyber Agency had benefited from her reporting on health and education issues,” he added. Intermedia Pakistan Manager Aurangzeb Khan also paid her tributes: “People in the tribal areas do not want their women to make calls to a radio show, but Asma proved to be a bold woman who raised voice for women.” Asma was engaged to journalist Sajid Khattak. They were classmates, best friends and co-workers in the same organisation. A grieving Sajid Khattak said he was proud of Asma due to her many qualities. “She was a loving daughter, sister, colleague and a professional, with a firm trust in Almighty Allah.” He remembered Asma telling him that she would die before him. “She was right. Now she is gone. Asma was serious in pursuing her career as journalist. She was happy that we worked for the same media organisation,” he said. “Asma Nawar was a noble woman. She was hardworking and honest,” remarked executive producer of Intermedia in Peshawar, Islam Gul Afridi. “For the first time I saw a woman here who was bold and confident and worked like men. She never felt that she was a woman reporter in our male-dominated society,” he said.